Queensland’s Scott Hend has survived a thunderstorm, a birdie bomb from Nacho Elvira and twice tangled with the trees before claiming the Maybank Championship in dramatic fashion at Saujana Golf and Country Club in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.

Starting the final round three shots adrift of Elvira, Hend went out in 5-under 31 to claim the outright lead at the turn but it was at the 72nd hole where the real drama unfolded over the course of two hours.

Playing the tournament’s final hole in torrential rain and trailing Hend by a single shot, Elvira was just short of the 520-metre par-5 18th in two shots before a clap of thunder rang out just as he played his pitch shot.

With Hend safely on the green, Elvira was facing a birdie putt of some 30 feet when tournament officials called a halt to play as the thunder and lightning intensified at 2.50pm local time.

Play would not resume until 4.30pm at which point Elvira sent the large galleries into raptures by holing his putt for birdie and forcing the tournament into a playoff.

But that’s not where the drama would end.

The big-hitting Hend hit the base of a tree with his tee shot only to see his ball cannon back into the fairway as Elvira’s tee shot came to rest in the fairway bunker.

Hend doubled down on his playoff good fortune by hitting another tree with his second shot but hit his approach shot to around three feet to claim his 15th career title and third on the European Tour.

"Obviously I had a bit of luck on the playoff hole. If you don’t have any luck you won’t win,” Hend said after the win that moves him up inside the top-10 of the Race to Dubai rankings.

“I had the luck today, unfortunately for Nacho. His time will come, he’s going to win. He’s a great player.

"I’m a grinder and a fighter. So is my caddie Tony (Carolan). We both have the same mental attitude.

“It doesn’t matter how old we are, we work hard at what we do. It just takes a bit of luck to win.”

The 45-year-old was full of praise for Elvira, who was also runner-up at last week’s Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, and his putt to force the tournament into a playoff.

"If I was to go out there and hit that putt you would say you would hole it one in 10 times. It was an amazing putt, and in the situation he holed it. All credit to Nacho, it was fantastic,” Hend said.

"I had to get off to a fast start as I was three shots behind. That’s all there was to it.

“I was fortunate enough to turn in 5-under and on the back nine I shot level par. I can’t ask for much more on a Sunday when the golf course is playing quite tricky.

"I felt like I played fantastic on the back nine. I nearly holed a lot of putts, just missing. I just had to keep my head on and stay patient, stay in there. The worst-case scenario was a play-off.”

It was an inauspicious start to the week for Hend who posted on Twitter the roller-coaster he endured in Wednesday’s pro-am, regaling his followers with details that included six lost balls, being stung by a wasp and having two birds relieve themselves on him, adding #cangetbetter.

He began the tournament with a 3-under par round of 69 as fellow Olympian Marcus Fraser enjoyed a share of the lead at 7-under and was 5-under through 36 holes before ramping it up over the weekend with two rounds of 67 to end the week at 15-under par.

Terry Pilkadaris and Lucas Herbert were both under par on Sunday to finish in a tie for 25th while Zach Murray (T41) and Fraser (T48) both dropped down the leaderboard in the final round.

Min Woo Lee was the only other Australian to make the cut in a tie for 51st while Daniel Nisbet and Todd Sinnott both retired after the first round, Sinnott withdrawing after 10 holes of his opening round.

He could be the most well-travelled golfer Australia has ever produced. A 14-time winner as a professional, as he prepares for this week’s Maybank Championship in Malaysia, Queenslander Scott Hend reveals the secrets to surviving life as a global golfer.

This week I am in Malaysia. Last week it was a week off in Bangkok having played the week before in Qatar. The weeks before that were Oman, Bangkok, Perth, Melbourne and Saudi Arabia. After Malaysia I’m off to India before I finally head home to the family in Florida. Last year I played 31 events in 27 different countries and I guess in that regard you could classify me as a selfish person.

I don’t play golf to make money, I play golf because I love to play golf. I like to play golf, I want to play golf and I want to play in tournaments. I’m very self-driven in that regard. The way I see it is that if I don’t go away then I can’t make money for my family and if I don’t go away I can’t have the self-gratification of trying to win a golf tournament.

With a wife and two kids there’s no doubt I’ve become a little less selfish over the years. You feel that gravitational pull. You want to go home, you want to see your kids, you want to drive your car and just hang out.

I’m fortunate to be in the position where I’ve made some money over the years so when the twins, Aston and McLaren, are not in school over summer I can fly them and my wife Leanne out to me. They spend six weeks with me in Europe and get to see the world. At Christmas time we’ll have a holiday in Asia and then pop down to Australia for a couple of weeks, so I get to spend time with them in that way.

It can be a lonely existence, not only just for you but also your partner. If they can’t handle that, it’s going to be very difficult for you. I’m very fortunate that I’ve got a very strong-minded, strong-willed wife in Leanne. She’s a lawyer by her trade and does an incredible job with the kids. If you’ve got a partner that can’t handle being by herself or looking after the kids, then this job’s not for you.

If you’re a nervous flyer, this job also isn’t for you. That’s all we seem to do. Every Sunday night or Monday we’re on a flight to somewhere and that’s just part of the way golf has evolved. We no longer play four events in our home state four weeks in a row; it just doesn’t happen.

Everywhere you travel to is a different experience. Some are good and, to be honest with you, none of them are ever really that bad. I’ve been fortunate enough to never fear for my safety or anything like that but it can be a little concerning when you go to an airport such as Delhi and want to change your flight. The airline tells you that you have to go to the travel desk to change it but you are not allowed into the airport unless you have a booking. Things like giving your passport to people to take inside the airport while you wait outside with no passport and no way to get in to get it, that can be a little nerve wracking. But they’re just the bits and pieces you go through when you’re travelling.

One travel experience that stands out was a flight from Tahiti to New Caledonia when we were playing on the South Pacific tour back in the late 1990s. The weather was so bad that we had three attempts to land and turned back around. The plane was full of golfers and we were all saying, ‘don’t try again, don’t try again.’ Then we found out that the radar was out at the airport so the pilot was trying to land by coming in through the hills. I always remember that one.

The secret to surviving this lifestyle is resilience. I’ve got a little bit of amnesia too which doesn’t hurt.

It’s funny, I was watching the TV the other day and they were talking about how some golfers are using psychology and their short-term memory to help them forget bad shots. The best golfers in the world all do that naturally; it’s not something that has to be taught. Luckily enough I don’t scar from the bad stuff that’s happened. I prefer to remember the good stuff.

If I couldn’t play golf then I don’t know what I’d do. Even when I’m home back in Brisbane, I love going out and playing with my brother-in-law, my dad and a couple of mates. This sport has enabled me to travel the world. It’s enabled me to meet a lot of great friends. It’s enabled me to see what’s bad in the world and also what’s good. Hopefully I can pass that on to my kids if they ever want some information when they travel.

I’m very lucky. I’ve been able to see a lot of things that if I had a job in Australia I’d never have seen otherwise. If I was back home working in Australia would I have gone and visited the Taj Mahal? Definitely not. That’s not something I’d personally do but because I was there playing golf and had a couple of days off I went and did it. If you’re the sort of person who wants to explore the city you’re playing in that week, you absolutely can. I don’t actively seek out to go and do those things but if a tournament such as Perth says we’re going to Rottnest Island on Tuesday afternoon to go and see the quokkas, then I’ll go and see the quokkas.

There have been plenty of 14-hour flights where I won’t even turn the TV on. I just put my headphones in, get my iPod out and just let it play. Sometimes I’ve got a playlist that I might like to listen to, other times I’ll just press shuffle and go through 9.5 hours of music and then start again. I’ve got everything on there from Dean Martin through to Tiesto, even Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber. Everything except heavy metal. I’m not a heavy metal person.

With all the travelling I’ve done I think I’ve become more patient with certain types of people. When I was starting out, I hardly had enough patience for myself and then you travel and you realise that in general, as a race, we are very basic people. We can be very stupid and airports bring the stupidity out in everybody. That’s just the way it is.

If you think that sounds like a silly statement then you need to travel more. Stand in security lines and watch what people do. Common sense is pretty rare these days. You see people lining up in the priority line who if they just looked at their ticket would know they’re not supposed to be in that line. Then you’ve got the security checks; take your laptop out, take everything out of your pockets. Yet you’ll see a bloke walk through with $7 in change in his pockets and forget to take it out.

What I have noticed in my travels with the advent of smart phones is that it is all immediate gratification. Everyone expects everything in life to happen straight away. That’s something I’ve really noticed over the years.

In terms of managing my body, massage is key. I won’t say I don’t drink but not drinking excessively all the time is a good idea, too. I get a lot of massages to try and keep loose and stretch. For the young golfer coming up, I’d advise them not to become a range rat. Don’t be the guy that hits a billion balls on the range.

Times are changing. You don’t have to have a long career to make money. Guys can be out there for five years, make $20 million and retire but I’m the guy who likes to play golf. I’d like to play golf until I’m 70. I’d like to play the seniors tour, any tour I possibly can for as long as I can.

He won’t say he has a score to settle at the Fiji International presented by Fiji Airways but Scott Hend definitely feels he has unfinished business at the Natadola Bay Championship Golf Course.

The popular Queenslander began the final round in 2017 sharing fourth place and just three shots behind 54-hole leader Wade Ormsby.

One of the most experienced and successful players in the field, he rightly felt he had a genuine chance to take the title but having done all the hard work to get himself into position things didn’t go his way in the final round.

An adventurous front-9 of 1-over that included just one par – Hend amassed five bogeys against two birdies and an eagle – all but ending his chances, an aggravating end to an otherwise encouraging week.

“From tee to green I probably hit the ball as good as I had for the whole week and to not convert on the Sunday and win the tournament was very frustrating,” said Hend.

“The pressure was really on to win because I think if I had won that tournament I definitely would have got the pick for the Presidents Cup.

“I got into position and I guess my putter let me down on Sunday. I just couldn’t hole the putts and Norrey (eventual winner Jason Norris) played fantastically and holed the putts he had to hole and shot some great scores to win.”

Hend is no stranger to Fiji having played there early in his golf career but said when he returned for the first time in many years in 2017, he was pleasantly surprised how far the country – and golf in Fiji – had come.

“I was really excited and pleased to see the quality of the Natadola Bay course when I arrived last year,” added Hend.

“Fiji has always been a special place and it hasn’t lost any of that magic. You stay in the hotel there and have breakfast looking out over the ocean and it’s just an island paradise.

“But the golf course there is also a quality golf course. The way it’s been designed – it’s a really good design and very playable.”

Hend says the Natadola Bay layout, and the strong winds which often blow across the course, suit his style of play and he is confident and keen about his return trip this year.

“The real key to the golf course is the wind. If it gets windy then the guy who’s striking the ball quite well and can manoeuvre it about, he’s the guy who will be up there at the end,” he said.

“That’s what we saw last year with the wind. The proficient ball strikers sort of came to the top a little bit.

“I played with Jason on the Saturday and he was striking the ball quite cleanly so it didn’t surprise me he was up there. Then he also had the putter rolling so when you get those two things together, it usually all falls into place.”

While returning to Fiji is a trip down memory lane in some ways for Hend he said he also recognises the tournament is a significant opportunity for many of those in the field.

“The field strength for Australian golfers and the opportunity for those guys are fantastic,” he said.

“The guys who play the pro-am circuit and are looking to advance their careers, a tournament like this is really, really big.

“It’s a rare opportunity. If you can have a good week here and get a win you get a two-year exemption in Asia…it could be life-changing for some of those guys.”

There’s no question Hend has a genuine liking for Fiji and the tournament; his travel itinerary just to take part is proof of his commitment.

He will play the Porsche European Open in Hamburg the week before then beginning a long and adventurous route to the South Pacific ahead of Thursday’s tee time.

“Sunday night I fly Hamburg to London then London to Singapore then Singapore to Fiji,” added Hend who will fly direct from Singapore to Nadi on Fiji Airways.

“It’s a fair trip but at least you know it’s going to be nice and relaxing once you get there!”

Hend will be among the favourites when the Fiji International presented by Fiji Airways tees off at Natadola Bay Championship Golf Course and rightly so.

In a season which has seen him not quite at his best thanks to an injury flare-up, he has been steadily building back to form and feels he is ready to contend again.

“The hardest part about winning is actually getting yourself in position,” he says.

“Sooner or later, if you get there enough, you hope once or twice it all falls your way but just trying to get there is the hardest part.

“Golf tournaments are so competitive these days that there are not many times you can go out and shoot even par or 1-under in the last round and just win. You have to keep pushing.

“But I’ve done a lot of hard work this year and sooner or later it’s going to fall into place. It’s just a matter of timing and you’ve got to be persistent with it.”

Don’t be surprised if that time comes Sunday evening in Fiji, says Gavin Kirkman CEO of the PGA of Australia which owns the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia and along with Sports and Entertainment Limited owns the Fiji International presented by Fiji Airways.

“Scott Hend is a highly accomplished golfer recording 14 wins around the world and representing Australia at the 2016 Rio Olympics so to have a player of his calibre returning to the play the Fiji International presented by Fiji Airways shows the positive reputation the tournament has built on the world stage.

“The distance that players like Scott are travelling to tee up in the tournament is also a testament to the beauty and hospitality of Fiji; the players all love playing in the Fiji International presented by Fiji Airways.”

To be held from 2-5 August 2018, the Fiji International presented by Fiji Airways will be played at the Natadola Bay Championship Golf Course which boasts breathtaking views of the Coral Coast and is home to the Natadola Beach Land Estate.

Enticed by the tropical destination, the Fiji International presented by Fiji Airways has attracted some of the world’s best golfers since its inaugural staging in 2014, including Fijian hero and three-time Major champion Vijay Singh, 2017 champion Jason Norris, 2016 champion Brandt Snedeker, 2015 champion Matt Kuchar and 2014 champion Steven Jeffress, Steven Bowditch, Boo Weekley and Nick Price.

This year’s tournament is set to feature four-time Major champion and Captain of the International Team for the 2019 Presidents Cup, Ernie Els.

In 2018, the Fiji International presented by Fiji Airways continues to have a global presence confirming its position as an integral tournament in the South Pacific region, with the tournament being tri-sanctioned by the European Tour, ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia and Asian Tour.

A Pacific paradise, the Fiji International presented by Fiji Airways also boasts some of the most unique hospitality options in world golf with the par-3 8th hole providing the perfect vantage point to watch the golf, whilst socialising on the beach.

More than just a golf tournament, the Fiji International presented by Fiji Airways aims to leave a lasting legacy for golf in the Pacific region, with the PGA of Australia supporting initiatives to introduce and grow the game in Fiji.

Owned by Sports and Entertainment (SEL) and the PGA of Australia, the Fiji International presented by Fiji Airways is proudly supported by the Fijian Government, Tourism Fiji and the InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa as the official resort of the tournament.

Scott Hend proved a sense of humour is vital at the top levels of golf where winning is rare and most weeks have an element of ‘if only’.

Hend was one of only two Australasians to survive the 36-hole cut at the European Tour’s Commercial Bank Qatar Masters but despite finishing T70 he maintained his sense of humour.

Hend took to Twitter after his round and posted a self-assessment which clearly shows he has the game in perspective.

Geeee close this week…. just need to putt, wedge and chip it a little better and maybe a few more fairways… other than that it was pretty close to being gr8…..️‍♂️️‍♂️️‍♂️️‍♂️ @EuropeanTour #hardwork #goals #soon

— Scott Hend (@hendygolf) February 25, 2018

Hend posted rounds of 73-67-75-70 to finish 3-under-par for the week and 15 shots behind winner Eddie Pepperell of England.

He and Jason Scrivener were the only survivors of the 4-under cut line, Scrivener claiming bragging rights with a top-20 result.

The West Australian played his usual brand of consistent golf over the four days with scores of 70-70-67-70 to be 11-under for the week and T19.

It was a good comeback for Scrivener after missing the cut at the previous week’s Oman Open where an opening 75 proved too much to overcome.

Sam Brazel put up a desperate Friday fight to make the weekend but after opening with four birdies in his first nine came up two shots short courtesy of a 1-over second nine.

New Zealand’s Josh Geary will rue two double bogeys in the opening two rounds as he also missed by two shots while Adam Bland never found his rhythm with scores of 73-72 to miss by five.

After a week of consistent golf in Abu Dhabi, Scott Hend will be looking for a fast start at this week’s Dubai Desert Classic where an opening 76 in 2017 cruelled his chances early in the tournament.

Having posted a personal best T8 result at the prestigious tournament the previous year, it was a disappointing start for the Queenslander who nonetheless hit back with three good rounds to climb higher up the leaderboard each day.

From outside the top-100 after the first round, he eventually finished T42 and will be determined to improve on that this year.

Hend is one of nine Australasians teeing it up in one of the flagship events of the European Tour’s Middle East swing.

Wade Ormsby, Sam Brazel, Brett Rumford, Marcus Fraser, Andrew Dodt, Jason Norris, Jason Scrivener and New Zealand’s Ryan Fox join Hend in the field.

With just one Australian winner in its 27-year history the Dubai Desert Classic has proved an elusive title for golfers from this part of the world.

Richard Green’s memorable win in 1997, in a playoff over Greg Norman and Ian Woosnam, remains the highlight though all will be keen to break the drought this week.

Hend is the best performed of those assembled though the course should be a good fit for Fox’s game also.

He opened with an impressive 68 last year to be in eighth position through 18 holes but fell away with scores of 75-75-74 to eventually finish T63, a performance he will be hoping to improve on this year.

Of the rest Marcus Fraser’s T5 in 2013 is the standout, Andrew Dodt is looking to make his first cut here in six tries while Jason Norris is an unknown quantity as he makes his debut in the tournament.